Intro: Hello I am Ashton Deroy. I was Homeless in Kingston Ontario in 2020 for 3 terrifying months. I am very fortunate in this sense. My Homeless journey ended with me re-uniting with my family, getting on anti-psychotic drugs for my brain injury & beginning counselling.
Summary of meeting: At the start of the Zoom call. There was a brief interaction in the meeting with Isabelle Gemk who shared her blogging work as POOF, Protecting ODSP OW Funding. During the Zoom meeting a panelist discussed challenges around support an adult son with autism. A man named Leigh discussed supporting people with Mental Health & addictions challenges. Debbie Pike shared an estimate of 11 people dying in Belleville Ontario from reasons related to homelessness.
Best solutions proposed for the current homeless crisis: Rent control, tenant protections, Not-for-profit Sustainable housing developments and Universal Basic Income.
Key issue why this isn’t a self-motivation issue? : You can’t even get a job while you are homeless. Many homeless people face addictions. It was said during the meeting that they can’t even seriously recover from their addictions until they are housed. For many they need housing so they can finish a High School education before they can ever seriously consider entering the workplace.
Conclusion: Homelessness to me is always going to be an issue of… Do we re-organize the person? Or do we re-organize the society? I have a Community College Education in Business & Digital Advertising but I still ended up homeless, devastated & in a state of mental distress. How can we possibly resolve this growing problem?
